John Wick - Chapter 87: Undercurrents (Patreon)

Nate handed the phone back to John, and the two of them talked for a while longer. When the call finally ended, John looked over at him without saying a word.

“So what’s the story, John?” Nate’s curiosity was already getting the better of him. He nudged John with his elbow. “Ex-girlfriend?”

John shook his head. “Not exactly. We had feelings for each other a long time ago, that’s all.”

“So basically an ex-girlfriend?” Nate teased.

“We never even dated. How can she be my ex?” A trace of irritation was already showing on John’s face.

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop asking.”

Nate knew when to quit while he was ahead.

“Why are we going to Rome?” John asked.

Nate lowered his voice mysteriously.

“I’ve got a feeling that if we don’t go, Gianna’s probably going to die.”

“What makes you say that?”

“A seat at the High Table isn’t easy to secure. Her own brother was already trying to kill her. You really think he’s the only one who wants her dead?”

“And now that you’re officially back in the game, just watch. Give it a few days and someone else will come looking for you to take the same job.”

John thought for a moment before arguing, “She’s a candidate for the High Table. She’s not that easy to kill. Besides, she has someone very capable protecting her...”

Nate cut him off.

“A candidate is still just a candidate. She doesn’t have that much authority yet. And killing her really wouldn’t be that difficult. You know that better than anyone, don’t you, John?”

He grinned.

“So, Mr. Wick, you wouldn’t want your old friend dying in Rome, would you?”

John fell silent for a moment before his expression hardened.

“Yeah.”

“Besides, even if nothing happens, we’re basically taking a trip to Rome. I’ve never been there. I heard the Continental there is even more luxurious than the one in New York.”

“It is.” John sighed. “Fine, fine. We’re going.”

Then his expression suddenly changed.

John bent forward, clutching his stomach.

“What’s wrong, John?”

Nate immediately noticed something was off.

Then his own stomach cramped.

Oh, shit.

The drug was kicking in.

Nate had completely forgotten about it. The two of them had each drunk half a cup earlier.

“John...” Nate asked with an embarrassed expression. “How many bathrooms do you have?”

“Three...” John looked up at him. “I thought we’d be fine...”

His stomach answered with a loud growl.

“Ah, damn it. I made the poison with laxatives. First time using it, so I didn’t get the dosage quite right. I’ll do better next time.”

“Move!” John urged.

The two of them clutched their stomachs and hurried off toward separate bathrooms.

...

Early the next morning, the owner of the repair shop arrived at seven sharp. After exchanging a few greetings with everyone, he hooked up the car and towed it away.

With nothing else to do, the group passed the time playing cards while they waited for the contractor to replace the glass.

As it turned out, Ares was frighteningly good at cards.

She just kept winning, while Elena, who was teamed up with her, enjoyed victory after victory without doing much of anything.

John, meanwhile, was terrible at cards.

Which meant Nate spent the next two hours losing right alongside him.

By the end of it, Nate was practically steaming.

Who wouldn’t be after losing like that?

John, on the other hand, remained perfectly cheerful. He simply smiled, shuffled the deck again, and kept playing.

Once the contractor finished the repairs, John drove all four of them, plus the dog, back toward the hotel.

A little after eleven in the morning, they arrived at the Continental Hotel.

“Welcome back, everyone.”

“Good afternoon, Charon.”

Charon noticed Ares standing behind Nate.

“Ms. Ares. It’s been a long time.”

Ares greeted him in sign language that Nate couldn’t understand, then slid a gold coin across the counter.

Charon accepted the coin and handed her a key card.

“Room 703. Enjoy your stay.”

His gaze lingered briefly on the little Border Collie in Elena’s arms.

He merely raised an eyebrow and said nothing.

“Is the manager here?” Nate asked.

“My apologies, Mr. Lin. The manager had business elsewhere today.”

Nate pulled the Marker and the ledger from his bag and handed them to Charon.

“Hold onto these for me. Give them to Winston when he gets back.”

“Is this Mr. Wick’s Marker?” Charon asked as he picked it up. For the first time, a crack appeared in his usual perfect composure. “You resolved it?”

“Yep. It wasn’t that difficult once I used my head.”

Nate pressed two fingers together and tapped the side of his temple.

“Remarkable. When you return, I’d very much like to hear how you managed it.”

Nate could see genuine admiration on Charon’s face.

“Oh, one more thing, Mr. Lin. The manager has already arranged your trip to Rome. The nearest flight departs at three this afternoon. A private car will take you to the airport, and another will be waiting when you land.”

“You have plenty of time. You may have lunch first and return to your room for some rest afterward.”

It was the first time Nate had heard such undisguised respect in Charon’s voice.

He rather enjoyed it.

Apparently even Charon knew exactly how to make someone feel good about themselves.

There was no need to rush, then.

The group ate lunch together in the restaurant before returning to their respective rooms to rest.

Room 307, New York Continental Hotel.

“Settle.”

[Current Resource Points: 3,694/32,000]

[Settled: Pistols x4 (176) + Gold Coins x276 (5,520) = 5,696 Resource Points]

[Legendary Weapon: D’Antonio Family Grenade Launcher]

[Effect: Grenade blast radius and damage increased by 30%]

[Resource Points: 2,315]

[Legendary Weapon: D’Antonio Family Staccato 2011 XC]

[Effect: Effective range increased by 20%. Damage against targets beyond 30 meters increased by 20%. Recoil reduced by 20%.]

[Resource Points: 943]

[Current Resource Points: 12,648/32,000]

“System, can I buy a Trait Fusion Card?”

[This item cannot be purchased from the System Store. It can only be obtained through quests.]

“Fine. I’ll save the Resource Points for now.”

Nate checked his Traits.

None of them could be upgraded.

In that case, there was nothing else to do.

Time for a nap.

...

At that same moment, inside a secret room belonging to the D’Antonio family.

A corpse lay in the center of the room.

Santino.

An elegant Italian woman stood beside him along with several bodyguards.

Tears streamed down the woman’s face as she touched her son’s already cold cheek.

“Who killed my son... Who killed him?!”

Her voice rose until she could barely control it.

One of the bodyguards behind her answered carefully.

“Madam, according to our intelligence, it was John Wick. Baba Yaga killed him.”

The moment she heard the name, her sobbing stopped.

For several seconds, she said nothing.

“Why? Why would he provoke Baba Yaga? Wasn’t that man retired?”

“Yes, Madam. But Mr. Wick recently returned to the life.”

“Santino went to see him with the Marker.”

“And then?” she demanded. “Where is the Marker?”

“It’s already been reclaimed. According to the Continental’s records, Santino’s Marker has been honored.”

The woman fell silent.

A moment later, she wiped away her tears.

“I want him dead.”

Her voice turned vicious.

“He killed my son. I want him dead!”

Her eyes were red with hatred.

The bodyguard hesitated.

“Madam... that man is Baba Yaga.”

“I don’t care! He has to die!”

Her voice had become almost hysterical.

“I still have more than ten million in my private account. Put four million toward an open contract. Use the rest to hire the best assassin you can find, anyone except Baba Yaga.”

“He has to die!”

...

Back at the Continental Hotel.

Two in the afternoon.

Nate was still asleep when pounding on his door woke him.

“Nate! Time to go!”

He opened the door and found John standing outside with Elena, who had a suitcase beside her.

“You’re coming too?” Nate asked.

“Of course. I’ve never been to Rome either. I had to beg Winston forever before he finally agreed to let me come.”

Elena could barely contain her excitement.

Nate’s expression turned serious.

“I should warn you, this trip is dangerous. We’re not actually going there on vacation. If something happens to you, I’m not going to know what to tell Winston.”

Elena looked offended and punched him lightly.

“Please. Compared to me, you’re the rookie, remember? I’ve been an assassin way longer than you.”

“Fine, fine.”

Since there was clearly no talking her out of it, Nate gave up.

He’d just have to keep a closer eye on her if things got dangerous.

“Wait. What about Bailey?”

“He’s with Ares. She really likes him.”

“She’s not coming?”

“She wanted to,” John explained, “but her situation is complicated. Showing up in Rome would be difficult for her to explain.”

“Oh.”

Nate understood.

The three of them climbed into the private car bound for the airport.

None of them knew just how much trouble was already waiting for them along the way.